LARGEST CHECKS EVER WRITTEN

On October 13, 2008, Mitsubishi UFJ wrote Morgan Stanley a check for nine billion dollars (that’s $9,000,000,000).

Mitsubishi UFJ’s payment to Morgan Stanley was at the urging of the U.S. government to prevent Morgan Stanley from becoming insolvent during the banking/financial crisis of 2008. The funds were in the form of an investment and an extension of a much-needed line of credit.

Why was a check issued instead of doing a wire transfer of the funds?

The negotiations to obtain the funds from Mitsubishi UFJ did not close until the Sunday of the 2008 Columbus Day long weekend. It just so happened that it was also a holiday in Japan and the Japanese banks like the American banks were closed on Monday.

The check was hand-delivered to Morgan Stanley on Monday, October 13, 2008, and the presentation of the check was used to calm investor fears about the solvency of Morgan Stanley.

On January 5, 2015, billionaire oilman Harold Hamm wrote a check for exactly $974,790,317.77, payable to his ex-wife Sue Ann Arnall.

Arnall initially refused to cash the astoundingly large, hand-written check because she believed the amount was too small.

Arnall had appealed the amount of the settlement, arguing it wasn’t enough given Hamm’s enormous wealth. Arnall claimed that Hamm is worth more than $20 billion, and that it was during their 26 year marriage that he had built most of his fortune. Arnall eventually cashed the check.